Chapter 16 - The First Mission (5)
Namgung Jun and Heo Il were traversing the mountain path at a very fast speed. In the middle of it all, the tip of Heo Il’s chin shifted slightly.
“Let’s turn. It’s to the east.”
As he proposed to suddenly change direction, Namgung Jun could not help but ask out of curiosity.
“Have you found some kind of trail?”
“The grass is bent in a uniform way. It is not something that can be made by the steps of an animal. Furthermore, looking at the footprints, it appears to be the Demonic Bell Footwork of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult.”
Namgung Jun, who had heard Heo Il’s words and confirmed the faint tracks left on the dirt ground, nodded his head.
‘Remarkable.’
Heo Il’s art of tracking had reached a wondrous realm. He had thought Heo Il would have to scout the surroundings first to find a trail, but his expectations were wrong.
After lightly sweeping his gaze over the surroundings, he had suddenly found a direction and begun to move. And while doing so, even while unfolding his Lightness Skill at a moderate speed, he did not miss a single minute trace.
This was a field that even Namgung Jun could not imitate.
‘This is not a depth one can achieve alone at a young age. Did he receive a true transmission from someone?’
Namgung Jun’s interest in Heo Il grew, but now was not the time for that. It was because he was gradually starting to feel out of breath.
‘I must raise my body’s condition as quickly as possible.’
Since entering the Azure Sky Society, he had been replenishing his nutrition with regular meals and was in the middle of improving his pathetic physical condition through steady training.
But even so, it was still far from enough.
A body with severed meridians that had been left neglected without any treatment, and a body that had become frail from not being able to eat properly, was not something that could be restored so easily.
He was only enduring like this thanks to the internal energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art; if the maturity of his internal energy had been even slightly lower, even following behind Heo Il would have been an overwhelming task.
‘Proficiency in Body Movement Skills is also urgent.’
Besides the Infinite Steps Footwork, Namgung Jun was using the basic Body Movement Skill of Namcheon Palace.
Though he recalled the Body Movement Skill he had learned in his past life, he did not learn it. It was his intention to no longer be bound by the martial arts of Namcheon Palace.
It was because as he lived a new life and built himself up from the bottom like this, there were truly many new flaws that he could see.
To become a Ten-Perfect Martial Artist, which he had not achieved even in his past life, he had to master not only the sword but all other fields as well.
To do this, the choice of simply retracing the martial arts of his past life was not a very good one.
It was when Namgung Jun was running while reminding himself of the direction of his future training that Heo Il opened his mouth.
“Young Hero Namgung. I’ve caught their tail.”
“Finally.”
“But I must go on ahead.”
Namgung Jun’s eyes, as he was squeezing out his strength to kick off the ground, hardened.
“Why is that?”
“If we continue on this path, we will come to a point where the current of the Yangtze River weakens, and it seems they will likely take a boat there.”
“Which means.”
Namgung Jun understood Heo Il’s words.
If they could not catch up to them before they got on the boat, the chance to save the captured commoners would disappear forever.
It meant that they would lose them.
Veins rose on the hand with which Namgung Jun gripped his scabbard.
“Senior Heo. Will you be alright alone?”
“I will stall for time.”
“I will follow as quickly as possible.”
Heo Il, who had nodded, kicked off the ground with his whole body wrapped in an aura.
As if he had been matching Namgung Jun’s pace until now, Heo Il’s silhouette shot straight forward.
His art of tracking was one thing, but his proficiency in Body Movement Skills was also extraordinary. He was at a realm that far surpassed the Body Movement Skills of his peers.
It seemed that although Heo Il belonged to the Heavenly Sword Hall, his greatest specialty was not the sword.
Observing his training in the Heavenly Sword Hall, his innate sword genius was also considerable, but it was certainly lacking compared to his study of the art of tracking and Body Movement Skills.
‘Senior Heo.’
The back of Heo Il, who had at some point become a dot and blurred into the leaves.
Watching this, Namgung Jun took a deep breath.
‘I will catch up as fast as I can.’
Namgung Jun gradually began to increase the speed of his Lightness Skill. He could have increased the speed further if he had set his mind to it, but he did not.
Because he had to prepare for the fierce battle after his arrival, he could not recklessly increase his speed.
Namgung Jun began to quickly chase after Heo Il while conserving his stamina.
***
Heo Il’s eyes glittered as he lightly flew up and landed on a tree branch.
‘Those are the carriages.’
Heo Il had caught up to the two carriages.
In the first carriage, which was leading the way, he could feel countless presences.
They must be the children from Dongling who had been kidnapped.
‘They’ve disguised themselves as a small merchant caravan.’
Though on the outside they looked like ordinary merchants and workers, they could not fool Heo Il’s eyes.
Their gait, their scar-covered hands, and the bleak glint that could be seen in their eyes from time to time.
They were indeed the Demonic Beings of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult.
‘A total of ten of them.’
Heo Il, who had quickly finished his assessment, brought his hand not to the sword at his waist, but to his sleeve.
Heo Il’s left hand, which had gone inside his sleeve, was whipped out swiftly. And so, the atmosphere faintly parted along his fingertips.
Thwack!
A dagger, embedding itself squarely in the temple of a Demonic Being who was guarding the carriage.
As their colleague, who had been walking perfectly fine, suddenly collapsed, only then did the other Demonic Beings draw out their hidden weapons.
“An enemy!”
“Protect the carriages!”
The Demonic Beings, who had stopped the carriages, did not easily move away from their vicinity. This was, on the contrary, exactly what Heo Il had hoped for.
Heo Il moved swiftly through the vegetation with a nimble Body Movement Skill and threw a series of hidden weapons.
Chaeng!
The first two or three fell after being hit by the hidden weapons, but after that, it was not easy. Now that the Demonic Beings had clearly perceived Heo Il’s existence, they did not go down so easily.
The way they scanned their surroundings while deflecting the hidden weapons made it clear that they had a counterattack in mind.
“It seems the enemy’s numbers are small.”
“Something is suspicious.”
As the Demonic Beings were murmuring, a voice was heard from the second carriage.
“He is stalling for time. Ignore him and move the carriages.”
As soon as the command fell from the second carriage, the carriages that had stopped began to move again.
‘Damn it.’
Heo Il, his intention discovered, finally threw his body forward and shot up in front of the carriages.
SLIICE!
Heo Il, who plunged down diagonally and sliced the horses’ necks, blocked the front of the carriages.
Then, he cut open one side of the first carriage.
Through the split opening, the figures of children, huddled closely together and trembling, could be seen.
Heo Il’s eyes twitched as he saw this.
“So it’s certain.”
Heo Il, who had confirmed that the children were alive, blocked the rear of the first carriage.
It was the moment the Demonic Beings were about to rush at Heo Il.
“Stop. I shall step in myself.”
The door of the second carriage burst open, and a middle-aged man shot out. The middle-aged man, twisting his body in mid-air as he unfolded a Kicking Art.
At the end of the arc that the middle-aged man’s foot fiercely drew was the crown of Heo Il’s head.
‘If this connects properly, it’s instant death.’
Pa-pa-bak!
Heo Il, who had swung both his fists to barely block the Kicking Art, was pushed back continuously. A slight mistake and he would have lost his balance and fallen over.
The power of the Kicking Art was just that heavy and threatening.
“Hah.”
Heo Il caught his breath and glanced slightly behind him.
Behind Heo Il, in the carriage, a dozen or so young boys and girls were trembling. He could not show a wavering appearance in a situation like this.
Heo Il’s right hand, which was lowering the brim of his bamboo hat, was trembling minutely.
“Bastard. Are you trembling from fear?”
Despite the middle-aged man’s ridicule, Heo Il did not retort and instead grabbed the gourd bottle with his left hand.
Heo Il, who had gulped down all the alcohol in the gourd bottle, took a deep breath.
“Did you ask if I was afraid?”
His scarred right hand, which had been trembling minutely, was now in a calmed state.
“There is only one person I fear. And it is not you, you bastard.”
Heo Il drew his sword with his now-steady right hand and narrowed the distance with the middle-aged man.
“For such a flashy entrance, the aura laden in your feet is nothing special.”
“Hmph! You’re putting on a needless bluff.”
The middle-aged man, who had snorted, kicked off the ground once more.
His right leg, whipping around like a lash at the same time his waist spun.
WHAM!
Heo Il tilted the body of his sword diagonally to deflect the Kicking Art. If he had been even a little late, his chest would have been crushed.
Despite this, Heo Il’s expression was not good.
Without even a gap to swing his sword and counterattack, five leg-shadows were rising darkly before his eyes.
Heo Il, who cut down the five leg-shadows in a single breath with the Greater Amplification Sword Style, had to continuously step backward.
It was because he could not fully absorb the after-effects of receiving the offensive. It was also a part that showed the middle-aged man had gained the upper hand in their exchange.
The middle-aged man, who had lightly pushed Heo Il back, snorted and released his aura.
Heo Il, who felt that numbing aura, muttered.
“A Mingjiaowei.”
Mingjiaowei.
It was a term that referred to a cult member who had mastered one of either the Yin Essence Demonic Art or the Yang Essence Demonic Art, which were given to the common cult members of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, and had reached the Peak Realm.
A rank belonging to a mid-level officer, not a common cult member.
For a Mingjiaowei to personally be on a transport mission like this was unexpected.
He was an opponent that was overwhelming for the current Heo Il to face.
To face a Mingjiaowei, usually a Three-Cloud member of the Azure Sky Society would have to step in.
Despite this, Heo Il did not retreat. In his activities as a Cloud of the Azure Sky Society, being pushed to the death line like this was surprisingly common.
He was merely worried.
‘This is big. Young Hero Namgung must be on his way now.’
To drag the newcomer Namgung Jun into this was no different from stepping into a deathtrap together.
‘A way to let Young Hero Namgung know…’
Heo Il, while worrying about Namgung Jun’s safety, still moved his two feet forward.
It would be troublesome to show any sign of wavering to the Demonic Beings before him.
In that time, the Demonic Beings, with the Mingjiaowei at the center, formed an encircling net. Their will to not let Heo Il escape was palpable.
“Azure Sky Society! I won’t give you a clean death, you bastard.”
The Mingjiaowei instantly closed the combat distance and swept his hand toward Heo Il’s chest.
Heo Il, who had barely managed to twist his body and evade, tried to push the Mingjiaowei back by lashing out with his sword.
But the Mingjiaowei’s palm technique was merely a feint. The real move was the knee strike that shot up from below.
THWACK!
As the knee, which shot out as if leaping, squarely embedded itself in his thigh, Heo Il’s posture collapsed dramatically.
“Kuk!”
“Is this all you’ve got?”
The Mingjiaowei, who looked at the staggering Heo Il and let out a smirk, extended both hands in succession.
“Haaaah!”
Though Heo Il let out a kiai and unfolded the ultimate skills of the Greater Amplification Sword Style one after another, he could not completely receive the Mingjiaowei’s forms.
Three leg-shadows left in the air finally managed to dent Heo Il’s martial arts uniform and bamboo hat.
THWACK!
Heo Il, who had exchanged a dozen or so blows, vomited blood and retreated backward. He had been pushed back so far that, at some point, the carriage was positioned behind him like a wall.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
FWOOSH!
As Heo Il once again lifted his head, a hot wind blasted in from the rear.
“Ugh!”
Simultaneously with that, the Demonic Beings who had been blocking the escape route from the rear spewed blood and fell forward.
Between them was a boy, moving with a composed bearing.
“Hah.”
Heo Il, who saw this, let out a gasp of admiration without realizing it.
The aura and posture that Namgung Jun was displaying now.
They gave Heo Il an inexplicable sense of trust.
He did not feel like a mere newcomer.
It was like looking at a veteran swordsman in perfect condition.
The Mingjiaowei and the other Demonic Beings also seemed to feel that the presence Namgung Jun was giving off was not ordinary, and did not dare to rush at him carelessly.
Namgung Jun stepped into the Demonic Beings’ encirclement himself and asked.
“Senior Heo. Is it alright if I step in?”
Heo Il could not answer right away.
It was because worry and gratitude for Namgung Jun, and at the same time, an unknown trust in Namgung Jun, washed over his body.
Only after a single breath did Heo Il open his mouth.
“I'll be counting on you.”
“In that case, in Senior’s stead.”
As if nodding, Namgung Jun’s bamboo hat swayed once.
In the next moment, Namgung Jun’s steps were directed not at Heo Il, but at the Mingjiaowei.
“I shall announce the end of this mission.”
Namgung Jun’s clear, sonorous voice echoed.
At the same time, his sharply honed blade was aimed at the Mingjiaowei.